Kent Automatic Garages facts for kids
Kent Automatic Garages were special parking buildings in the United States. They were popular from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. These garages made it easy for people to park their cars. You could park your car for an hour or even a whole day. One of the first Kent garages was on 44th Street in New York City. Another famous one, now called the Sofia, is near Columbus Circle.
These parking garages were very handy. They used electric machines called parkers to move cars. A parker was a small machine with rubber tires. It would roll under a car and connect to its back axle. This machine could move a car about 60 feet in just 15 seconds. It would pick up the car from an elevator, take it to a parking spot, and bring it back. The best part was that the car's engine didn't even need to be started! The parker moved the car on its own wheels, saving time and effort.
How the Kent Garages Started
The Kent Garage Investing Corporation in New York City helped pay for these garages. The very first Kent Automatic Garage opened in February 1929. It was located on East 43rd and East 44th Streets.
In 1928, the Packard Motor Company sold some land. This land became a huge 25-story Kent Automatic Garage. It was at 43 West 61st Street and is now a building called the Sofia. This garage was designed to hold 1,000 cars! Milton A. Kent, a life-insurance salesman, came up with the idea for these garages. He hoped to build 15 to 20 of them across the United States.
Kent planned to build more garages. In July 1929, he announced a new one in Newark, New Jersey. By December 1930, a 28-story garage was built in Chicago, Illinois. This one could hold 1,200 cars. Another Kent garage was part of the big Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio. This building had a hotel and a Kent garage for 750 cars. Plans were also made for a large parking garage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Changes After World War II
After World War II, many cars became much larger. These bigger cars meant that the Kent garages could not hold as many vehicles. Their parking space was cut in half. Because of this, some of the garages changed. For example, one garage on the East Side of Manhattan became an office building in 1964.
In 1960, Louis C. Kay bought the 43rd Street garage. He changed it into a modern office building. It had new walls and a seven-story addition with glass windows. This new part added a lobby and more office space. 40°45′5″N 73°58′23″W / 40.75139°N 73.97306°W
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